General Banter NSR

Discussion in 'Vancouver Whitecaps' started by JohnnyRanger, Jun 30, 2011.

  1. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    This thread is dedicated for all NSR (Not Soccer Related) banter, debates, and such. We will have an easier time of moderating the other threads.

    As such we will obviously take a lighter hand in any trolling excessive flaming etc here, but same rules apply here, so nothing too harsh eh? ;)

    fill your boots.
     
  2. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    $7 to 8 bucks beer at Empire Stadium sucks
    i wish it wont be as expensive in BC Place.
     
  3. TheCopperSheik

    May 18, 2011
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    beer in the stands at empire.... warm, bud, 8 bucks.... absolute shit.
     
  4. Krammerhead

    Krammerhead Guest

    Okay I'll add a random message. The official Southsiders board is full of whiny people that seem to complain a lot about how some threads should be closed, and people shouldn't vote down posts (why have that as an option then) and there are an awful lot of morons who post there. :)
     
  5. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    sorry if i have to swear

    fcuk the HST. :)
     
  6. Krammerhead

    Krammerhead Guest

    Uh oh, the moderator is a very big proponent of the HST! Prepare for the thread to be closed!
     
  7. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    Not at all!

    I love debating this stuff! and that's what this thread is for!

    BC is a funny place, and the politics of this place is horrific. It is very polarized and it's truly the Conservative/Pro Business vs. the Socialist/Liberal/Unionized Employees world.

    As for the HST: It is truly good tax policy. No matter your stripes, it is good tax policy. What i think is that anti-BC Liberals/anti-Harper types see these sort of policies come out and hate them just becuase of who forwards the policy. I think it was shameful the way that Campbell rolled it out in BC, however it saves our province money, it means a smaller govt (meaning less takers and more makers) and it truly is pro business in that either the tax savings at the business level means either a lower cost for the goods to us consumers or more profits and margins for the business, which in turn means more taxes paid.

    I'd always prefer that more of my tax money is tied to my consumption rather than my income.

    BC already has the lowest income tax than any of the other provinces, the folks in BC want their programs, healthcare, and infrastructure, but don't want to pay for it. With this spending being a non-issue: We need the spending so the money has to come from somewhere, I'd always prefer that "The Man's" hand in my pocket is tied to my spend, not my earn.

    Would you rather we stayed with GST/PST and then risk a raise to the PST or Income tax?

    really the tax will be VERY neutral to most citizens. The very poor and the retired/elderly will be the only ones making off with less of a tax "spend" whereas all of us working folk will have less hands in our pocket tied to our earning via income tax.

    Why specifically do you think the HST is a bad idea?

    I'm open to debate and stand to be corrected.
     
  8. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    i am a student where i dun have much time to cook for myself
    eating out really affects me, from 7% jumped to 12%
    although i tried to control how many meals to eat out
    tax and inflation really bother me :(

    and off topic:
    allergy sucks.
     
  9. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    Cooking for yourself vs eating out is a choice that most can make relatively easily. I hear what you're saying and empathise, however voting against HST in this point of your life based on what is good for you RIGHT NOW is the sort of short sighted politics we always end up struggling with here in BC.

    You can always find the time to cook and eat yourself, if you consider walking to a subway, ordering your sub and chips and soda, and then eating it and walking home...you are almost as much time to make a sandwich at home...for cheaper, and out of groceries which some will have HST applied and some that don't. Also as a student presumably working part time, you are likely going to be one of the low income earners that will recieve HST rebates, meaning you will get some hard currency back in your pocket.

    Subway Large Sub, with Chips and Soda = what? $12.00?
    300grams of Salami, a few rolls bought bulk, can of Mayo, can of Mustard, small brick of cheddar, a large bag of potatoe chips = what? $25? that will make you 4-5 sandwiches as you have the jars of condiments as a go forward... the only thing above that HST would apply to is the potatoe chips. Cheese, Deli Meats, Bread, and Foodstuffs don't have HST applied to them.

    Overall most people that spend wisely etc will end up spending less money under HST than the GST/PST, certainly when it (the HST) comes down to 10% instead of 12%, which is applied almost evenly across the board instead of the GST.PST which was 13% at last check IIRC across some things.

    And for those of you who eat out, but enjoy a pint or glass of wine, the HST is actually cheaper usually because the liquor tax is scrubbed iirc, thus instead of paying a lot of tax on expensive beverages and only the GST on the food items you are paying a flat 12% across the entire bill.
     
  10. TheCopperSheik

    May 18, 2011
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    There has not been any concrete evidence that the HST is the right choice.

    My sincere belief is the government was not interested in the HST, UNTIL they were offered 1.6 billion AND faced with a huge deficit after the election. They bit the poison apple as they wanted that money to help with the provincial finances.

    Anything the pro-HST people say is generic or theoretical. They say "it is good for jobs"; yet unemployment is up since the HST arrived. The say "the reduced input costs for business will result in lower prices for the consumer'; yet there is no concrete evidence this is the case in anything more than an isolated instance. Service based industries have seen a drop in sales which has a negative impact on employment numbers (according to the restaurant industry the HST hurt them quite a bit). Many service business are moving towards the underground economy (such as paying a guy to fix your fence with cash only... you may counter argue this was the case already due to GST, but it is increasing quite a bit with the additional 7%).

    I am not saying the HST is bad. I am saying that the various things that we are told are good with the HST are not backed by hard evidence. At 10% it is a better deal for consumers. But then that means they are admitting the original HST was not good.... so what does all their "Good for BC" claims mean if they are now admitting it needed to be lowered.

    You can go on about the "revenue neutral" false hood as well. You point out that this HST is needed as it brings in additional revenue. This flies in the face of the original selling point of saying it was revenue neutral to the government's books. If it were revenue neutral, then it wouldn't matter if we switched back. Therefore, it is not revenue neutral. If the government had of sold this as a way to increase revenues to pay for services they would have had a better chance of having the public on board. The bullshit they fed to everyone has made it a very difficult situation.

    It is also misleading to say that somehow 10% HST is better for the consumer than 12%; simply because many more items are taxed.


    Now, the government is saying that a "family" is ahead with the 10% HST. Which also means they admit the family is currently behind. SO, if this era of being ahead starts in 2014, then there are another 3 years of being behind. Thus, if a family is behind by hundreds of dollars for 4 years; it will take several years of "being ahead under the 10% system" in order to JUST BREAK EVEN.

    Whether the HST is good or not is something I am not sure a bout. But I do not see anything other than theory supporting it.
     
  11. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    Which is precisely why it needs to be allowed to continue. PST/GST has a track record because it existed. HST has not existed before this.

    The underground economy argument holds no water. It's tax evasion and it will happen under any system.

    It is a cheaper system to run as you don't have to have the tax office processing PST.

    and as far as behind/ahead, we need you to define that for debates sake. "Ahead" or "behind" meaning what?

    Again, I'd prefer to pay a few cents per dollar more based on my consumption to "the man" than have "him" dig deeper into my pockets each and every payday.
     
  12. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    tim hortons' double-double makes my day. :)

    [​IMG]
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    +2!!!

    that being said, the TH lineups by my place have gotten horrific in the morning, and I've recently switched to Mickey D's coffee, and it's just as good and cheaper (even with that Darn HST!) ;)
     
    1 person likes this.
  14. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    mcdonald's coffee isn't bad, maybe mcdix isn't as coffee focused as timmy ho's, but i realize the double-double i order from mcdix doesn't taste the same all the time :rolleyes:

    sometimes they tasted like single-double, and double-single :rolleyes::rolleyes:
     
  15. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    i live in a house where the rooftop is made from plastic material (cheaper than wood), now i regret to use plastic instead of wood because my room is a burning inferno :mad:
     
  16. Krammerhead

    Krammerhead Guest

    -Depending on which room you are in my apartment it is between 27-30C. I never turn my heat on even during winter.

    -I drinking crappy cheap beer as my weekend starts tonight.

    -If the government didn't waste so much of our tax money nobody would be arguing about HST/GST. Golden handshakes, huge pay increases to the yank who runs our ferries etc.

    -The Whitecaps haven't done anything right since the news they were moving to MLS. They kept the Caps name, but have tarnished it. First the new crappy corporate logo, then they got rid of the band around the chest, went to boring all white home strip and all blue road, then they got crappy players and management. An embarrassment to the Whitecaps legacy.

    Wait a minute, the last comment was more on topic than general banter.
     
  17. ntg.

    ntg. Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 9, 2007
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    sleeman?
    that thing tastes like soy sauce.

    i learned something interesting in class today
    apparently icbc gives money to the police to do road block/road check, if icbc don't have money, that means the police won't do any road check.

    lol.
     
  18. Krammerhead

    Krammerhead Guest

    No. Brava, recently new to BC. $7.99 for 6 and it tastes like it.
     
  19. TheCopperSheik

    May 18, 2011
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    I can not believe you said something I agree with.

    I am really sad at what Barber and Soehn and Mallet and CO have done to our club.
     
  20. JohnnyRanger

    JohnnyRanger Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    Hey! That's off topic in our off topic! don't make me delete posts! :eek: Lol.

    @ ntg:

    It was funny about the ICBC/RCMP & other police thing about counter-attack for Drink/Driving.

    I used to work at a New West nightclub across the street from the NW Cop Shop. I always watched them roll past on their way back to the garage at right around 1:45-2:15am on Friday and Saturday nights... well I guess early the next morning, but I digress, it was funny to me that they rolled by and closed up their road blocks only once the ugly lights came on and all the drunks who are obviously super drunk to have stayed at a club till the ugly lights come on...they're the ones to watch out for.

    Long story short, one night I was getting harassed as I was getting into my car, the cop was grilling me if I had been drinking, and I said No I'm a bartender and don't drink on shift, he laughed and I laughed, becuase we both knew all BT's drink their fool faces off...however that night I was driving home and didn't drink, then I asked why they always close up when the most dangerous drivers are just hitting the road. He said because ICBC stops paying their wages to the Municipalities at 1:30am.:eek:

    Lol,

    I, almost nightly, had to avoid accidents on HWY 1 headed back to Surrey due to drunk drivers. I saw so many accidents and cops having people pulled over on Hwy #1 and the 160th and 176th off ramps.
     
  21. Felixx219

    Felixx219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 8, 2004
    Kansas City, MO
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I dont know that there is a better place for this but a small group of us are planning on attending the game on April 18th. I have a few questions.

    First, is there tailgating at the stadium? If so, when do gates to the parking lot open.
    Is there anything we should know or any tips you guys can provide for coming to the game.

    Also, is there anything in Vancouver that a person should absolutely check out? We are going to spend Thursday there before heading to Portland on Friday for the game on Saturday.

    Thanks.
     
  22. dewhitecapfan

    dewhitecapfan Member

    Jul 28, 2008
    There is no Tailgating, but a bunch of decent bars within a few blocks of the stadium that will be full of fans.

    Southsiders will invite you to Doolins, their pregame/post game bar. I've been post game once, they're a real fun crowd.

    As for things to do, I'd say make sure you check out stanley park, the seawall and just walk to downtown core, gastown, chinatown and robson are pretty nice. If you have the time, a trip to Whistler is always recommended.
     
  23. Fynnsky

    Fynnsky Member

    Jul 15, 2011
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Vancouver has some pretty strict/strange laws when it comes to alcohol. You could walk by a cop smoking a joint and he might just give you a funny look or at worst tell you to put it out (and if you're in to that, add it to the "what to do" suggestions). But you walk by him with a beer and watch out!

    At the tailgate parties for the Lions (CFL) people would have booze in coffee cups and stuff and the security/cops seemed to look the other way, but you couldn't be obvious about it.

    As for things to see, dewhitecapfan pretty much nailed it. If there are wives coming along for the trip, either Robson Street or Metrotown are usually hits for shopping.
     
  24. Felixx219

    Felixx219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 8, 2004
    Kansas City, MO
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    So people just do not tailgate or it isnt allowed. It is not legal to have alcohol in the parking lot?
     
  25. Fynnsky

    Fynnsky Member

    Jul 15, 2011
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Vancouver Whitecaps
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    It's not allowed, and there also isn't one central parking lot near BC place, they are spread out across the whole area.
     

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